Some Protestants decry interfaith services

The proliferation of interfaith services after Sept. 11 have unsettled some conservative Protestants, who feel joint worship violates their belief that Christianity is the only true faith.

In one case, the Rev. David Oberdieck filed charges with the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod over a fellow pastor who joined non-Christian clergy in the Sept. 23 Yankee Stadium service, "A Prayer for America."

"I wouldn't have brought charges if Jesus Christ was confessed in such a way that he stood out from the smorgasbord of gods," said Oberdieck, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Lebanon, Mo.

The National Association of Evangelicals organized its own memorial service in October. Conservative Christian clergy -- exclusively -- led that gathering.

Among those joining celebrities at the stadium memorial were Catholic Cardinal Edward Egan of New York, Imam Izak-el M. Pasha, a Muslim police chaplain, Jewish rabbis, and leaders of Hindu and Sikh temples.

Attacks may deprive ill children of toys

NEW YORK -- Thousands of children with HIV or AIDS may not receive Christmas gifts this year because the attack on the World Trade Center displaced an organization that collects toys for them.

For a month after the Sept. 11 attack, the Children's Hope Foundation was forced out of its office three blocks from the trade center, and couldn't receive deliveries for weeks afterward.

"About 60 to 70 percent of our donations come in at that time," said Jonathan Bee, who coordinates the group's toy program. "We probably have 1,000 toys and we're looking at 8,000 kids."

American zoos raising money for Kabul facility

RALEIGH, N.C. -- The zoo in Kabul, Afghanistan, has only a few species left, including a lion that was blinded in one eye when an Afghan guerrilla threw a grenade into its cage.

In response to reports about conditions there, North American zoos and aquariums began a campaign last week to raise $30,000 to keep the Kabul zoo running for the next four to six months. By Friday, the North Carolina Zoological Society had pledges worth $26,000 from 150 donors.

"Some people say, "Isn't this a bit crazy when we've got all the human problems?' " said David Jones, director of the North Carolina Zoo. "I think there's ... a much larger appreciation of the animal side of this kind of conflict than what they might think."

A donor who wanted to remain anonymous promised $10,000, and European zoos have also pledged money.

© 2006 • All Rights Reserved • Tampa Bay Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111

Contact the Times | Privacy Policy
Standard of Accuracy | Terms, Conditions & Copyright